Modern cameras generally provide an auto focus (AF) function and a zoom function and comprise a photosurface such as a CCD or CMOS photosurface on which scenes imaged by the camera are recorded. To provide the AF and zoom functions, a camera generally comprises a first lens or lens system, hereinafter generically referred to as an “auto focus” lens (AF lens), that functions to focus images on the photosurface and a second lens or lens system, hereinafter referred to generically as a “zoom lens”, that provides a zoom function.
The AF lens and the zoom lens are generally mounted to first and second platforms respectively, referred to for convenience as AF and zoom platforms, of a lens transport system so that the optic axes of the AF and zoom lenses are coincident along a common camera optic axis. A suitable motor or actuator comprised in the transport system moves the zoom and AF platforms to position the zoom and AF lenses in various desired telephoto and wide-angle configurations and provide the camera with zoom and focusing functions for imaging a scene.